26 School education

School plays an important role in every pupil’s life. School provides us not only with a certain amount of knowledge in science and humanities it assists in facing the outside world. It is a very special place where we make friends, learn to value moral qualities in people and develop our talents and skills. Common knowledge of school education depends on the teachers, their professional skills, attitude to subject.

In Belarus schools are mainly comprehensive. There are specialized schools which major in art, humanities or science. School is compulsory at the age of 6/7. There are exams after 9 th form and after 11^thform.

In England School is voluntary under the age of 5. Children can attend nursery schools. At the age of 5 untill 16 all Britain children must go to school. Many of them stay longer and take final examinations when they are 17/18.

State schools:no fees are charged, books and equipment are free. Schools are supported from public funds.(county/ voluntary) County schools are maintained by local education authorities out of public funds. Voluntary schools are established by religious denominations and maintained from public funds. Children in these schools receive religious education.

There are 2 stages in school system:primary and secondary education. Primary education starts at the age of r5 when children go to infant school. At 7 they go to junior school. They transfer to secondary school at the age of 11.

Untill 1960 children took exams.Who passed successfully went to grammar or technical schools,others went to modern school. Nowadays secondary schools are comprehensive. 16 yearolds take the general certificate of secondary education in 5,10,15 subjects.Pupils going to higher education or professional training take A level examination in 2,3 subjects. This require 2 more years of studying after GCSE.

There are private schools in Britain.They charge fee. Many of them are bording schools at which pupils live during the term. Most of them are single-sex.(Eton-for boys, St. Jame’s-for girls).

27. Ecological Problems

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.

The pollution of air and the world's ocean, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with nature, a sign of the ecological crises.

The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Belarus were also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Belorussian and other nations.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken.

Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries — members of the UNO — have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl.

An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

28. Personal and professional qualities of teacher of English

All educational establishments are in need of good teachers.Education is very important for the success and progress of our society.Teachers don’t only teach their subject, they develop their pupils’ intellect, form their views and characters,their attitudes to life. It is a great responsibility, so the teacher must be a model of competence. A teacher has to know how to make difficult things understandable, how to get students motivated and the teacher should possess perfect knowledge of his subject.Teachers should make their lesson interesting so students don’t fall asleep.A teacher must love her job.A teacher shouldn’t hide his personality from the students, he isn’t only a teacher but a person as well.It is important if students can talk to the teacher when they have problems.A teacher should correct people without offending them. A teacher should have the ability to control and inspire a class.A good teacher care more about their students’ learning than they do about their own teaching.

Teachers and students are not the same as parents and children.Parents may talk to their children with more exaggerated tones of voice.

The way that teachers talk to students is one of the crucial teacher’s skills. It requires teachers to emphasize with people they are talking to. The language and intonation should be appropriate. Apart from adapting their language, experienced teacher use physical movements: gestures, expressions, mime. They become teachers language especially at lower level. If a teacher wants to give instructions he can do it in 2 ways: instructions must be as simple as possible and logical.Before giving inst-s a teacher must ask himself : what is the important inf-n I am trying to convey?which inf do students need first?which should come next?The teacher should check that the students have understood the instruction.

During the lesson a good teacher maximizes STT and minimizes TTT.

Teachers have a guidance function.They should be interested professionally in all matters which are important for pupils.For ex. The teacher can discuss health habits with his pupils:proper diet ,enough time for sleep…Teachers should pay attention to the pupils’ relations to each other,to school wort, to other teachers.The teachers responsibility is to see to that pupils catch positive feelings and thoughts that will help them in learning.

Teaching is challenging profession that requires complete dedication,lots of inthusiasm,constant creativity,love for children.A good teacher treats his pupils with respect and values them as individuals.A good teacher will do his best to bring up honest,patient,confident,self-disiplined people able to meet many challenges in a rapidly changing world.